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NAUI BOD Election

Elect Gene Muchanski – 2015 NAUI Board of Directors – May 5, 2015

I am honored and humbled to have been officially nominated to run for the NAUI Board of Directors election this fall. I am asking for your endorsement, input, support and vote. NAUI has made incredible gains in the past two years and I would like to continue that success by adding balance to an already talented board by contributing what I know about sales & marketing management, successful business practices and the competitive and political nature of the diving industry.

This year’s election will be all about building a strong NAUI Headquarters again in order to accomplish the things we need to do to regain our Leadership role in the industry. As part-time Directors with their own jobs, Board Members can only do so much. In order to grow the association and become competitive in the industry once again, NAUI Headquarters must be re-built on a strong foundation. In the coming months I will be discussing with the Membership specific things that NAUI could be doing to regain its Leadership role in the industry, based on conversations I am having with successful NAUI Members across the country and internationally.

I’ve been fortunate to work in and out of the diving industry my entire career and my duties and responsibilities have always centered around diving and the business of diving in addition to my work in sales, marketing and management. Working in the industry I have gained experience and expertise in the University, Training Agency, Retail, Manufacturing, Travel, Non-Profit and Trade Association sectors. Thanks to six years as a Senior Business Consultant at the University of Houston I was able to gain expertise in the use of modern day sales and marketing tools in addition to working with hundreds of small business clients. All of this has helped me form an integrated and balanced approach to dive industry sales, marketing and management.

NAUI has an incredible history and now, for the first time in many years, a real chance of regaining its leadership role as a quality oriented training agency. There is a lot of work to be done in building a strong NAUI Headquarters Staff that will work in unison with an elected Board of Directors. Programs, Products and Services need to be updated, improved or created to meet the needs of our Membership. We need to grow our presence in College and University Diving Programs. We need to grow and promote our Retail Dealer Network. We should be working on programs to grow our technical training department and our Public Safety Diver Programs. We need to expand the number of Dive Centers and Resort Operators that teach NAUI courses and offer referral training and/or job opportunities for our Instructors. Building a sizeable NAUI presence in the Caribbean would strengthen our Association. We need to give our non-instructor Members and our International Members the proper recognition they deserve and a voice in the association so we can meet their professional needs. And most importantly, we need to establish the long neglected practice of marketing NAUI as a quality training organization to diving professionals worldwide and the general public. Open and transparent communication is a key to NAUI’s future success. The Membership needs and deserves an open line of communication with their association and they must know that their organization is serving their needs properly and is doing everything it can to create opportunities for them domestically and worldwide.

These are just a few of the things I would propose if elected to the NAUI Board of Directors. I will work with the current Board Members by adding a balance of expertise to the board. I will work with NAUI Worldwide Headquarters and the NAUI Service Group to bring in new 21st Century business practices while sharing with them a history of my 40 years as a NAUI Instructor and Course Director. And most of all, I will work with the NAUI Membership to help bring their needs, concerns and perspective to the Board.

Bob Brayman, NAUI 6058 L: (Hall’s Diving Center & Career Institute): ” I have known Eugene for 34 years as a NAUI Course Director. When I orginally became NAUI and teaching NAUI Instructors back in 1981, Eugene was paid by NAUI to inspect the quality of my NAUI PDC (Professional Development Center) and report his findings to the NAUI Board of Directors and NAUI headquarters. We have been friends and business associates ever since. Eugene would make an excellent Board Member. As a past Board Member and Chairman of NAUI for a number of years I understand what it takes to be a good member of the board. Eugene will be outstanding. We will be lucky to have him.”

Capt. Steve Coe, NAUI 41871:

John J Duggan, NAUI 2226: (Duggan Diving Enterprises, Inc.): “There is no doubt that Gene Muchanski was a driving force in assisting the latest elected board members to take NAUI back for the instructors. If I were to pick a vulnerable spot in the NAUI program it would be in marketing. We have always been the best but were passed by the superior marketing of our competitors. Gene Muchanski is the type of expert we need to expand NAUI’s recognition throughout the diving world. He, along with my nominee, Gary Kulisek has my vote.”

Floyd Holcom, NAUI IT 48075: (Astoria Scuba and Adventure Sports, LLC): “Gene Muchanski is Good for NAUI! From his experience as a Navy Diver and NAUI Instructor to his experience of representing Dive Manufacturers in the Industry for over 40 years. He has my Vote and I hope yours too. Just Dive!”

Claude Jewell, NAUI CD: “I concur with Jim Elliott in every way. You have been a leader in every capacity I have seen you perform. When we first met when you worked for NAUI and when you founded your company Dive Industry Association. You have my vote and all I can muster for you. You will be a great addition to the board.”

Jennifer King, NAUI 6867: (Women Divers Hall of Fame):

Lt. Bill Pfeiffer, NAUI 45432: I believe that Gene’s strong background in business and marketing, his vast experience in the scuba industry, and his obvious desire to bring NAUI back to a leadership position in the scuba instruction market make him an incredibly valuable asset who brings a lot to the table. I proudly support his nomination for election to the NAUI Board of Directors.

Dan Orr, NAUI 5612: (Dan Orr Consulting): “Gene Muchanski has dedicated his life and his career to making our sport and our industry successful. NAUI needs that level of commitment to assure a return to the values that made NAUI a great certifying organization. He definitely has my vote for the NAUI Board of Directors.”

Lorraine Sadler, NAUI 6023:

Capt. Spencer Slate, NAUI 5756: (Captain Slate’s Atlantis Dive Center): “Gene has worked in and out of the industry his entire career and has centered his duties and responsibilities around diving and the business of diving in conjunction with his work in sales, marketing and management. Gene’s view for a leadership increase for NAUI in our industry is to expand our number of Dive Centers and Resort Operators that teach NAUI courses and offer referral training and/or job opportunities for our instructors. I feel Gene would be a great member of our BOD – someone who has been in the industry for decades and has a proven track record of loyalty to NAUI and is in a position with his Dive Industry Association contacts to quickly expand our brand.”

ENDORSEMENTS FROM THE INDUSTRY

Jim Elliott, Diveheart: “As the Founder and President of Diveheart, I’m proud to say that I was originally scuba certified through NAUI in 1976. The training I received through NAUI inspired me through out my career as an instructor, instructor trainer and now instructor trainer evaluator. Years in the dive industry have enabled me to meet some inspiring and innovative leaders. Gene Muchanski is one of those leaders. His vision to grow the dive industry is exciting and his efforts are genuine and heartfelt. I am proud to know and work with Gene as a dive industry leader and wholeheartedly recommend Gene as a director on the NAUI board.”

Christopher Shiver, Colorado Adventure: “I have known Gene Muchanski for over 10 years and have experienced his passion for building the Dive Industry Association as well as supporting the world of diving with his pro-business approach to helping companies and the industry grow. He would bring a strong business savvy and long term vision to the leadership of NAUI.”